Darrell Issa has eye on subpoena team

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California Rep. Darrell Issa has told GOP leaders he plans to double his staff if he becomes chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
John Shinkle

Many Democrats — and, truth be told, even a few Republicans in the House — regard Issa as something of a clownish figure, full of bluster and a perfect representative of an age of polarized, cable TV-driven politics. He once asked a reporter what planet he was on when he questioned one of Issa’s assertions.

But some Democratic operatives think colleagues are underestimating the threat: A clown with subpoena power is no laughing matter. Issa would have the ability to barrage the White House and executive agencies with document requests and demands for officials to appear under oath.

“He’s very dangerous,” said a Democratic House aide. “He doesn’t have any parameters. He’s scary smart.”

Lately, Democratic apparatchiks have started flooding reporters with thick files of old articles referring to run-ins with the law during Issa’s youth. Democrats also recently shopped a 12-year-old news story about Issa’s inconsistencies in discussing his military service during a 1998 campaign.

Even with control of the House, Republicans won’t be able to easily pass their agenda into law, since the GOP is unlikely to win the Senate and would face a presidential veto on their most sweeping agenda items.

That’s actually good for Issa. With little policy work to get done, Republicans would focus on fighting and investigating Obama.

Issa is temperamentally suited for the role. He doesn’t mind making enemies, he’s in a very safe district and he craves publicity. With his slicked-back black hair, his BMW motorcycle and his net worth of more than $150 million, Issa fashions himself a rebel with a cause.

Issa already brought down a governor. Seven years ago, he financed and spearheaded the successful drive to collect petitions to recall then-California Gov. Gray Davis. He didn’t achieve his goal going in — to replace the Democrat — but he made a name for himself in the Golden State.

Issa frequently reminds reporters that he has bashed Republicans too. He pushed legislation to restrict fundraising mailers that look like the census after the Republican National Committee used the tactic. And he proudly told the crowd that he resisted pressure from the Bush White House to drop his California recall push on grounds that an unpopular incumbent Democrat could help a Republican’s electoral chances.

And it’s not like Issa would be unique in using the Oversight panel as a bully pulpit.

Issa is a symbolic of just how broken the American political system is. The difference between a loyal opposition, and an opposition so far gone that its happy to see the country burn than to let a president find success, is frightening, and that's what we see here.

If Republicans win Congress, not only will nothing get done, the whole country will turn into one giant circus........what a joke of a man.

Whatever, Issa isn't interested in any such thing. He's primary interest is bringing government to a screeching halt, and ideally finding something that sticks to the president or someone in his administration. Republicans have nothing to offer but this. When they are in power, they do nothing, and when they are out of power, they moan about how government is terrible.

Issa is a symbolic of just how broken the American political system is. The difference between a loyal opposition, and an opposition so far gone that its happy to see the country burn than to let a president find success, is frightening, and that's what we see here.

If Republicans win Congress, not only will nothing get done, the whole country will turn into one giant circus........what a joke of a man.

This is something that needs to be done. This group of thugs in the White House and Congress should all be prosecuted under the RICO statutes. The $20 Billion extortion of BP is just the latest example of the type of behavior that needs to be investigated. Some of the others:

* Hundreds of billions of dollars ot TARP money went to legislative districts that don't even exist. Who got that money? Where did it go?

* Nearly a TRILLION dollars was spent on TRAP, but this administraion cannot account for it. Where did it go? Who got it?

* This administration was freely bribing other politicians with taxpayer moneyto vote the way they wanted them to. I can't beleive no laws were broken here.

* Stock holders of GM had their stock taken away from them without recourse to legal counsel and had their property given to socialist-friendly labor unions. Were no laws broken here?

* This White House has repeatedly dragged businesses and organizations into the White Hosue to be shaken down for whatever they wanted to get out of them.

This entire adminsitration and this Congress NEEDS to be investigated. We need to know how this happened and why nothing was done to protect the publilc from this lawlessness.

These guys will do anything except fulfill their obligations to the country. Instead of persecuting each other maybe they should be looking for a way to work together to actually accomplish something beneficial to the whole country.

If insanity is repeating the same thing and expecting a different result, what do WE call re-electing the politicians that caused all the problems in the first place with an expectation that they will fix them?

Don't Re-Elect ANY Incumbent Politician

"The care of human life and happiness and not their destruction is the first and only legitimate object of good government." --Thomas Jefferson

Issa would be a natural heir to adulterous fraud Dan Burton, who wasted taxpayer millions on slimy fishing expeditions to find or create scandals concerning the opposing political party (especially president), instead of looking to see that taxpayer monies are spent economically and efficiently in government. May we never see the day Issa becomes chair to demonstrate how Congressional power should NOT be used.

This tells me that the Republicans have no clue as to how the US Jobs Market can be improved. I left the Republican Party because I felt the leadership had lost their compass, and this article only supports my decision.

It is quite obvious that the major offering of the Republicans is to give us more circuses (aka Whitewater and Paula Jones) and take away what little bread there is for the needed. At least the Roman Empire supplied both bread and circuses!

Mr. Issa won't have to look very far to find corruption in the Obama administration. It could even be worse for Obama if impeachment talk is started after the November elections. Take your pick on the charges, but failure to his oath of office, not protecting our border could be his undoing.

How dare a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee investigate the government. This administration can do no wrong. There is absolutely no reason to investigate anything they do.

What's wrong with you? I'm so sick of the media. You're all a big part of the problem. Americans want the corruption cleaned up and you are part of that corruption too. This is not a matter of dems vs repubs... this is we the people vs. the media, we the people vs. the government, we the people vs. the lobbyists, etc. and we WILL take this country back from all of you.

How dare a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee investigate the government. This administration can do no wrong. There is absolutely no reason to investigate anything they do.

What's wrong with you? I'm so sick of the media. You're all a big part of the problem. Americans want the corruption cleaned up and you are part of that corruption too. This is not a matter of dems vs repubs... this is we the people vs. the media, we the people vs. the government, we the people vs. the lobbyists, etc. and we WILL take this country back from all of you.